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In Defense of Protest

H. Bradford

1/15/18

Across the world next weekend, there will be marches to mark the anniversary of the Women’s March. Last year’s marches in defense of women’s rights brought over five million people together in events held in over 80 countries. Despite the historic size of the marches and the epic accomplishment of bringing so many people together, these event has been widely criticized. Worse, the very notion of protest has been critiqued as ineffective, outdated, or inferior to other methods of social change (namely, electoral politics). Disagreements about tactics or critiques of events themselves have the potential of helping movements to grow, become more inclusive, correct mistakes, sharpen messages and demands, etc. At the same time, there is something deeply pessimistic, and worse yet, submissive to capitalism, about the critique of protest itself. This is why I will take a moment to defend protest.

Why Protest?

To begin, it is useful to ask what is the point of protesting? From an organizer perspective, the general goal of protest is to bring a group of people together to highlight an issue or injustice and make a demand. This action is a public display of dissatisfaction with the status quo and a call for change. The power of protest is that it is visible, massive, public, uniting, and disruptive. Another positive aspect of protesting is that it can be done immediately, without having to wait for election cycles. For those who are alienated from the political system, it is way to voice an opinion or concern which may not be addressed by politicians or ruling parties. It is also an opportunity for those with power to react with promises, concessions, or changes to avoid being ousted from power. Ideally, protest is a method of challenging and reshaping power. It can be a pathway to revolution. For example, in March 1917, women gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia to march, mainly demanding bread (or an end to war time food rationing). They were joined by striking workers and within a few days, the protests swelled to 200,000- demanding not only food but an end to the Tsar itself. Tsar Alexander abdicated eight days later, ending three hundred years of Romanov rule. One of the early events of the French revolution was The Women’s March on Versailles, which began on October 5th, 1789 when women began rioting in Paris’ markets over the cost and scarcity of bread. This swelled to thousands of women, who marched to Versailles Palace to not only demand bread but political reforms. Certainly, very few protests in history have resulted in such dramatic overhauls of systems of power. But, there are many examples of protests that resulted in significant reforms. The March on Washington in 1963 pushed the United States government towards passing the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. While social movements employ a variety of tactics, protest in one form or another, played an important role in many social changes in history from winning women the right to vote to earning the right to an eight hour day.

Women’s March on Versailles

Protesting doesn’t work…

While historically, protests have won us many of the rights we often take for granted, there is a great deal of cynicism that this tactic works or remains relevant. It is easy to see why people may feel that protesting fails. In recent years, there have been many massive protests that have not resulted in much significant or obvious social change. In February 2003, millions of people around the world protested the Iraq War, but this did not avert the war and over the years, the anti-war movement his dissipated into invisibility. The Occupy Movement drew attention to such things as economic inequality, the commons, bank bailouts, and fictitious capital, but it was ended largely through the criminalization of the movement (i.e. law enforcement broke it up). Climate change threatens to bring on a mass extinction event and it seems protest has done little to slow it. Protest could not stop Scott Walker from hobbling public unions in WI.

February 15th Iraq War Protest

Redefining Success:

It is hard to know the impact of recent protests, since history continues. We live in a moment of time, only able to see the defeats behind us. Successful protests seem to be somewhere further in history or in some far off place in the world. When success feels distant, it is easy to become demoralized. Many people may not even be aware of past victories won through protest, because mainstream history tends to focus on great individuals rather than the accomplishments of mass movements. Viewing history in this manner makes it hard to imagine the possibility that ordinary people can come together en mass and create social change. This is why it is useful to both redefine what success looks like but also refocus history. Because I am a revolutionary socialist, my ideal vision of success is the end of capitalism. I would like to see a world where no one goes hungry, war is no more, climate change is stopped, everyone is housed and clothed, reproductive rights are a given, education is free, health care is a human right, and all people are treated with dignity and full humanity. This requires both a long view of history but also a long view of the future. In this viewpoint, protest in the interest of this future is never a failure.

Consider the Iraq War movement. The failure to end the U.S. war on terror is painful. But, was this movement a failure? My first steps to becoming an activist were in 2003. That was when I became a socialist. Before I was a feminist activist, I was an anti-war activist. It is through considering global issues like war, poverty, and colonization that I became a socialist to begin with. It is through becoming a socialist, that I became a feminist. On a personal level, the Iraq War movement was part of my political coming of age. I imagine there are others like me. And, there are those who participated in their first protest when they attended the Women’s March last year. That will be part of their political coming of age. These protests did not bring down patriarchy or thwart U.S. imperialism, but they are part of the process of creating people who will make change. Even when protest fails in a traditional sense, it can be powerful in personal ways.

At the same time, while some protests have not yielded the necessary and immediate results that one would hope for, they have not been for nothing. There are plenty of times that I have participated in protests of less than a dozen people. This certainly feels like a failure. However, it puts a message out into public space. It may spark a conversation. At the minimum, it shows the world that this is an issue that a few people think matters. On the other hand, there are much larger protest movements that may be seen as failure since they became smaller or disappeared. The Occupy movement resulted in the popularization of a tactic: to occupy! It also generated interest in anti-capitalist politics and perhaps in spotlighting social inequality, inspired other movements, such as the movement for $15 an hour minimum wage. The Women’s March last January was followed by a burgeoning of feminist activism over the past year including #MeToo and the International Women’s Day Strike. The story is not over because history is not over.

Alternatives to Protest:

There are of course, alternatives to protest. To clarify, when I speak of protests I refer to activities such as marches, pickets, sit-ins, and demonstrations. These are public events with participation ranging from a handful to millions. Alternatives to protest include such things as voting, boycotts, divestment, petitions, lawsuits, strike, riot, terrorism, and warfare. A strike would be a wonderful tactic since it wields a lot of social power. However, it is not an easy tactic to pull off because many people fear losing their jobs, union membership is not widespread, and most people do not have experience with even more basic labor activism. This is an aspirational tactic which protest could and should be built towards. Terrorism and warfare are not on the table for most activists because they are violent, can result in criminal charges or death, are usually not mass movements, and alienate potential supporters. Boycotts, petitions, and divestment can be useful tools in an activist tool box. The only shortcoming is that they are often private, so those who are not involved in the movement may not know about them and those who are involved may not feel connected to a larger movement in the same way a protest brings people together. Legal actions can also be a useful front, but again, this is not as public, massive, and visible. Even voting or electoral politics can compliment protests. But, none of these things should replace or usurp protests (well, strikes could but usually massive strikes also include protests). It seems to me, when there is critique of protest, the alternative tactic suggested is voting.

This is an example of protest combined with divestment. In this case, activists were asking for divestment from apartheid South Africa. Apartheid in South Africa was ended through a variety of tactics, including riots, labor organizing, divestment, protest, international sanctions, boycotts, armed struggle, etc.

Political Process and Protest

I am extremely alienated from the U.S. political system. Because both major parties fully support the continuation of U.S. capitalism and the resulting imperialist foreign policy of violence, poverty, and oppression, I can’t get behind Democrats or Republicans. Therefore, I tend to avoid activist events that involve meeting politicians, phone banking for politicians, or really, anything that diverts energy towards getting candidates elected. I am open to these tactics for candidates from anti-capitalist parties, but the goal shifts in these situations. Since individuals who are not a part of mainstream political parties are not likely to win an election, the goal of campaigns tends to be more educational. These campaigns might be used to point out the political shortcomings or hypocrisies of other candidates, educate people about socialism, or popularize anti-capitalist ideas. This approach may be hard for others to understand, but at my core, I don’t really care about the existence or well-being of the United States as a nation. I care about the working people or oppressed people of the world. Thus, I find it hard to participate in the electoral process of the United States, as once again, both parties generally want to continue the U.S. dominance of the world and capitalism. Still, I do not absolutely rule out participation in the political process as an activist tool. I simply do not emphasize it as a prominent tool.

Bringing the topic back to protest, if social movements are effective in mass mobilizations, they can shift the political system without necessarily voting. For instance, if a protest movement becomes widespread and it seems clear that public sentiment has shifted, politicians will shift. After all, they want to be re-elected or at least see that their party is re-elected. Social movements make it “safe” for mainstream politicians to support same sex marriage, utter the word climate change, or proclaim that they are for the 99%. Thus, the horse is always social movements and the cart is the politicians being dragged along to speak to public sentiment. Mainstream electoral politics doesn’t favor the brave. Ideally, it would be wonderful to build space for alternative parties and reforms to our political system that create more opportunities for political representation from a variety of viewpoints. This won’t happen with the acceptance of lesser evilism, a concession to perpetual disappointment, disempowerment, and disillusionment.

Why so Cynical?

I think there are many reasons why protests are critiqued. I have only touched on a few. At the heart of some of the critique is the notion that they have not been working. It is certainly sad and frustrating to see so much misery and destruction go on, seemingly unchecked. And, while I can be optimistic about small victories or alternative successes, this means little to those who struggle without a living wage, are brutalized by the police, watch natural resources wrenched from the earth while the planet warms, cannot afford housing, die of preventable disease, live in warzones, or all of the other sufferings in the world. Change is needed immediately and systemically. Protests themselves sometimes fail to be inclusive or fail to connect to other struggles. Beyond this, there is the problem that most people are not engaged in political struggle. The “masses” are often dismissed as fat, stupid, and reactionary. It is hard to see our future liberation in the faces of the oppressed in our midst. Once again, one might find inspiration in the long view of history. In 1524, illiterate peasants gathered in the Black Forest and managed to create demands, create a banner, and elect leaders, launching the Peasants’ Wars in Germany (which were brutally suppressed, but it is always impressive when a group with little political experience or social leverage manages to organize and fight). Our president recently designated Africa and Haiti as “shithole” places. The Haitian revolution was the most successful slave revolt in history- which horrified Europeans with the reality that Black people could defeat white power and govern themselves. The “shithole” countries of Africa managed to eventually defeat European colonial rule, even if they have not yet defeated capitalism, post-colonial economic relations, and legacies of exploitation. I bring these examples up because when the masses are dismissed as too stupid, too lazy, too addicted, etc. it not only underestimates them, but concedes that some people are inferior. This notion of inferiority is thinly veiled classism, racism, sexism, ableism, or other isms. It is unfortunate that this dismissal of ordinary Americans and the elitism inherent in this sentiment only serves to make Trump more appealing.

If this is your image of why Americans can’t liberate themselves, consider the classism, fat phobia, ageism, ableism, or other isms which cause you to write off sectors of society as incapable of social change. People can be mobilized towards many things- from Black Friday shopping to White supremacy. But, if a person can be mobilized towards these things, then can also be mobilized towards progressive social change with organizing that speaks to the conditions of their oppression and honors their humanity.

There are alternative methods of social change, which certainly can be used with mass demonstrations. All of these methods may inevitably fail. Protest as a tactic remains viable inasmuch as it is a visible, social, collective, public expression of the desire for social change. It also remains viable in the context that working towards systemic change will require mass mobilization. Tactics should ultimately seek to inspire others towards a cause and serve as a stepping stone to larger more system challenging actions. Ultimately, what choice is there? While there may be some tactical choices, there is little room to choose defeat or complacency. This is not Pascal’s Wager, where faith is a tepid attempt to avoid the possibility of hell. Hell is here in the creeping barbarism of everyday life in Late Capitalism. The choice now is between accepting its inevitability or working to end it. Accepting it is a betrayal of all who suffer and of present life on the planet. Therefore, we must fight relentless and together by all means available, but especially those which offer the most promise of dismantling systems of oppression once and for all.

Spark in the Dark-Activist Report

H. Bradford

12/17/17

On December 16th, over a dozen feminists gathered in Duluth to protest sexual misconduct in an event called “Spark in the Dark.” The event was organized by the Feminist Justice League in response to the growing number of public figures that have been accused of sexual harassment and assault. The goal of the action was to draw attention to the ongoing issue, show solidarity with survivors, and embolden victims who remain silent. Those who attended were asked to wear black, as this was symbolic of the silencing, blaming, and disbelief of victims. At the end of the event, protesters lit sparklers, which was representative of the spark needed ignite a social movement.

The chilly December weather may have deterred some activists from participating, but the issue remains important as both major political parties have been mired in sexual scandals. Some political figures, such as Al Franken and John Conyers, have stepped down from their positions. Others, such as Ruben Kihuen and Blake Farenthold, have decided not to seek re-election. Roy Moore, who victimized several underaged women, was narrowly defeated in Alabama’s senate race on account of a higher turn out of Black voters. Despite resignations and losses, it is important to continue to demand accountability for all offenders accused of sexual misconduct, while continuing to support victims. As exemplified by the #MeToo movement, sexual harassment and sexual assault are part of the everyday lives of all women in society and are the result of the unequal position and worth of women within patriarchy. It is critical that the media attention these extensive and high profile sexual misconduct cases has garnered does not fade into apathy or indifference. Instead, feminists should treat this as an opportunity for building a mass movement that seeks to end sexual harassment and assault through accountability of victimizers, as well as mass education, awareness, and changes in the discourse surrounding these issues. Feminists should demand dignity, safety, and corrective actions in all arenas where these behaviors occur. This is why the event was organized. While the event was small, it was organized with the hope that this kind of action might spark future protests, marches, and actions around this issue. In the 1970s, feminists mobilized to take back the night. Today, it is time for feminists to organize to take back their workplaces, schools, streets, households, and all other places where power based harassment, violence, assault, and threats occur.

100 Political Events in 2017: A Reflection

H. Bradford

8/16/17

Yesterday, I attended my 100th political event of the year. The 100th event was a solidarity vigil for Charlottesville at the Clayton, Jackson, Mcghie Memorial in Duluth. The event was attended by several hundred people. So many people flooded the plaza that there were people in the the street. It was large enough that the police blocked off the street to passing traffic during the event against white supremacy (but framed generally as hate). We are just three years shy of the 100 year anniversary of the the lynching of three innocent African American men in Duluth. Yet, 100 years later so little has changed. Activists 100 years ago might be terrified to peek into the future and see that we are still fighting imperialist wars, hate groups like the KKK not only still exist but is actually gaining popularity, union membership is less than it was in 1920 and almost a third of what it was at its peak in 1970s, we are killing our planet, and basically…every oppressed group is …still oppressed. It would be pretty demoralizing to look ahead in time. In this long view into the future…this century long parade of violence, misery, drudgery…Trump would probably not stand out as the worst of the worst but just the latest terrible thing in the procession of suffering. Yet, I would hope that this activist of the past would see some hope. There are moments when humanity unites and fights against the tide of suffering. There are slow gains from the struggles of mass movements to rage against everything that destroys and diminishes us.

(I did not take this photo, it was posted to the Charlottesville Solidarity Vigil and I believe it was taken by Jordan Bissell)

Today was my 100th political event. Activism is not a numbers game, but I do like numbers. I know how many books I have read this year, new species of birds I have seen, the number of blogs that I have written, the number of countries I have visited, the calories I have consumed in the last 25 days, spending on food for the last several months, and many other things. So, tracking my activism is just one thing of many things that I like to keep tabs of. Numbers do not tell the whole story, but they do provide a piece of a puzzle. What can be said about 100 political events? Well, yesterday was day 227 of the year. That means that 44% of the days this year have been spent at political events such as meetings, protests, or educational political presentations/films. If I subtract the time I was out of the country on vacation- not at all engaged in politics- the number increases to 50%. That means half of my days are spent at a political event. This does not count times I spend writing political blog posts, preparing for political events by making event pages, putting up fliers, or creating fliers, having political conversations, or other political activities. Of these 100 events, approximately 46% were feminist, 13% were against racism, 10% were socialist specific, 8% were LGBTQ, 7% were non-labor specific economic justice events, 6% labor related, 5% were environmental, 4% were anti-war or anti-imperialism, 3% were criminology related, and 2% were miscellaneous. These numbers are imperfect, as some events were related to more than one category. The previous year, I attended 80 events for the WHOLE YEAR. So, it is safe to say that the election of Trump has resulted in an upsurge of political activity and opportunities to participate in social movements. I think it is also fair to say that this year has seen the emergence of far more feminist activism. While I tend to prioritize feminist events, there are far more events than I am able to attend. Locally, the most consistent and robust area of activism this year tends to be feminism…though there are plenty of opportunities in other kinds of activism as well and my numbers do not reflect the actual number of events against racism or for the environment, for instance. The numbers tell a bit more about myself than the political situation…but the general increase in activities certainly is indicative of an increase in opportunity. People are fighting back on many fronts.

What else can be said about the 100? I can say that I am a little tired! I feel accomplished. It helps keep me motivated. It also feels like hiking up a mountain and reading the elevation signs or the KM to the top. When I went on my vacation and entirely disengaged from activism and politics, it was hard to come back. I can see the appeal for the people who can’t be bothered to become engaged in social change. I can feel the hopelessness that nothing will become better so we may as live for whatever pleasures we can eke out of this existence. It isn’t always fun to go to meetings. It feels like a second job sometimes. It can feel like responsibility, stress, pressure, annoyance, etc. I feel a lot of conflicted feelings, really. I feel that it is mostly thankless and misunderstood. At the same time, I do feel a sense of accomplishment and a sense of need. I feel enough passion to continue. I feel very angry. It is anger that motivates me the most. I feel so angry that the world is so shitty for so many people. I feel angry that there are violent, horrific people who want women to live in the social equivalent of a whelping box as they breed the next generation of soldiers and workers. I feel angry that the ignorance of America’s atrocities over history and today. The stupid fear mongering over North Korea. I feel angry that white people feel victimized by a system built upon slavery, genocide, racism, and imperialism. I feel angry that there are so many people with the means to do more, but they don’t because it isn’t respectable to protest or in their immediate interest to make some waves. I wish I had more time for other things, yet I actually usually do get a lot out of activism. At the same time, I often wonder how normal people live. What do they do with their time? Then, there are some super activists who have probably been to 200 things this year! I am sure that comrades, Adam and Lucas, have probably been to more events than I have. Adam might have been to 150. They don’t write it down like I do. It isn’t a contest, of course. Activism feels a bit like a Sisyphean task. Most of the time, the results are not immediately obvious. OR, in the worst case, the stone of social change actually rolls down the mountain.

Activism isn’t always fun. Sometimes it is cold…and boring…or disappointing. Though this event actually was engaging and left me feeling hopeful.

All activists must have some sense of optimism that things can change. Even without optimism, things always change. More than optimism, activists have to believe in a sense of efficacy. That not only does change happen, but humans can and often influence this change. I have to assume that the imagined activist from 100 years ago would be disappointed if not terrified, but I would also hope that the activists today could give them hope. I suppose that it where I see myself in history. I hope that whatever future 100 years from now is better. Wouldn’t it be nice if there weren’t prisons, hunger, homelessness, or wars? What if everyone had enough? What if the planet wasn’t dying? How do we get from POINT A (this shit hole world) to POINT B (a better one)? I believe it is by trying to build movements that will change the world. I am a very minuscule part of that. But it will be made by millions of minuscule parts. So, I am telling you that I have been to 100 things so that maybe someone…out there…. will think that it is time to attend one thing. The past, present, and future might appreciate it. And, you can take it from me… one thing is not so much to do.

April Activist Notes

H. Bradford

5/1/17

Happy May Day activist friends. It was a dreary, windy, snowy, AND rainy May Day in the Northland. I didn’t do as much as I would have liked today, but I did take time to write up some notes on some of the activist events that happened in April. This isn’t the most detailed account, as I should have taken notes while attending these events. Despite the lack of detail, the ongoing upsurge of activism is encouraging. It is also a little exhausting! For a matter of comparison, I have attended about 73 political events (films, protests, meetings, etc.) since January 1st. This is about the same that I attended for the entire year of 2016. This is not to brag, as I know people who have attended more than this. Rather, I think it is a useful measure of the relative upsurge in social organizing. April weather may be gloomy, but activism is in bloom!

April 4th: Wage Parity Picket

April 4th was 2017’s Equal Pay Day. This means that women must work until April 4th to earn as much money as men made the year before (i.e. must work four months longer to earn the same median income.). In 2016, women earned about 79% of the median income as men. Of course, broken down by race, this is much less. If I remember rightly, Black women make about 63 % of the median income of men and Native American women make about 58%. Women over the age of 55 make about 64% of the median income of men. A wage parity rally was organized by the Feminist Action Collective and other organizations. The noon rally at City Hall was well attended and featured a speech by the mayor. This was also a chance to re-use some of my signs from the International Women’s Day Strike.

April 15th: Veterans for Peace Tax Day Protest

Each year, Veterans for Peace hosts a Tax Day Protest. The event is meant to highlight how our tax dollars should go towards meeting human needs rather than our bloated defense budget. This year’s event was very successful! Anti-Trump sentiment brought out more activists than any other year that I have attended this event. The event began at City Hall with various speakers. This was followed by a march to the MN Power Plaza. Activists held signs to attract the attention of passing cars. There were a few more speakers and some music at the plaza.

April 15th: Feminist Frolic: Cache In-Cache Out

The Feminist Justice League hosts a monthly outdoor adventure + learning activity called a Feminist Frolic. This month, we tried out geocaching. In honor of Earth Day, we did a cache in, cache out event. This involved collecting garbage while we geocached. Leslie taught everyone how to geocache with her very detailed presentation about the rules, language, and history of this activity. I gave a presentation on feminism and trash. It was my first time geocaching! I really love it and have since found 40 caches in my area! We also collected two small bags of garbage from the park.

April 17th: Bi with Pie: Bisexual Poets

April is National Poetry Month. In observance of the month, Pandemonium’s monthly Bi with Pizza Pie meeting featured Lucas D.’s presentation on a few bisexual poets and sharing of his own poetry. He shared poetry from a variety of poets and we had a short discussion about themes that were observed in the poetry. Lucas has written several books, but his newest is a collection of poems called “Since We Left the Oregon Trail: Poems for the Xennial Generation.”

April 22nd: Science March

Like many cities, Duluth hosted a March for Science. It was attended by 1200 people, though I did not attend due to my work schedule. As such, I can’t report back on this as I was not there. However, it seems like it was a great turnout!

April 24th: Socialism and a Slice

Once a month, Socialist Action hosts a socialism and a slice event. This month, various topics were discussed. The activists at the table discussed things such as racial minority unemployment in Duluth, the lack of low income housing, work on the Homeless Bill of Rights, the Science March, etc. The purpose of the event is to discuss current events and typically there is a heavy focus on local events and politics.

April 29th: Duluth People’s Climate March

As many as 800 people showed up for the Climate March on Saturday, April 29th. The event was hosted by Interfaith Power and Light, which organized a climate march near the Duluth Zoo over a year ago. As such, the event was well attended by religious groups. Many local politicians were also there and spoke out during the rally. The rally was followed by a march along the Lakewalk, which ended in more speeches and several tables with information on various environmental groups. Over 200,000 people marched in Washington DC and tens of thousands more marched across the United States. I made a few signs for the march, which I thought turned out quite well.

April 29th HOTDISH Militia Bowl-a-thon:

HOTDISH Militia is a local group that has been around since the early to mid 2000s, but became less active over the years. The election of Donald Trump resulted in a flourishing of feminist activism in the Northland. This gave new life to the HOTDISH Militia. The group works to raise funds that help low income women access the Women’s Health Center in Duluth. This is the only abortion clinic for the northern half of the state of Minnesota, northern WI, and Northern MI. Thus, these funds and the clinic are extremely important. One of the major projects that the group has worked on this spring is organizing the Bowl-a-thon. The Bowl-a-thon is organized through NNAF, or the National Network of Abortion Funds. HOTDISH is one of two funds in Minnesota. The national organization has an anonymous donor who has offered $2000 to every team that raises over $5000 for the Bowl-a-thon. The goal of the campaign was to therefore raise $5000 locally so we could get those matching funds. With hard work, weekly meetings, and generous donors, the goal was met. The Feminist Justice League’s team raised over $700 and dressed up like feminist superheroes! Our super hero team included characters such as Madonna Whore, Traffick Stop, Nasty Bitch, Rainbow Fight, Miss Anti-America, and Riot Grrrl Scout. Although we didn’t raise the most, I am very proud of the team and our fundraising. The entire campaign raised almost $8000.

March Activist Notes

H. Bradford

3/31/17

March was another busy month! I can’t believe that it is already over. Now, I didn’t attend every event that happened this month. That would be impossible. I also didn’t attend every event that I could have attended this month. That would require a revolutionary zeal that I simply don’t possess. I took time to bird watch, paint bird houses, edit a book I have been working on, and attend the ballet. I also took walks, wasted time, and socialized. So, this sample is not all of the events that happened in the Northland this month. It is not even the most important events that happened this month! It is a sample of a few things that transpired so that those who missed them can get an idea of what they missed out on.

Berta Vive in Duluth: March 5th

Berta Caceres was assassinated on March 2nd, 2016. She was an indigenous environmental activist who stood up against the neoliberal plot to build a hydroelectric dam in Rio Blanco, Honduras. Following the 2009 coup which Hilary Clinton’s state department legitimized if not supported, violence against activists has increased. Caceres, a critic of Clinton, was one of many victims of this violence. Witness for Peace is taking a delegation to Honduras this spring, so in honor of Berta, but also to promote the upcoming trip, they hosted this event. The event featured a panel of previous Witness for Peace delegates. This was a great way to start International Women’s Day week, since it connected the struggles of women in other countries to our own brutal foreign policy. Feminism should be for everyone, not just American women. Our foreign policy is anathema to feminism.

International Women’s Day: March 8th

On March 8th, the Feminist Justice League hosted a 78 minute symbolic strike in solidarity with International Women’s Day events around the world. The strike was meant to highlight the wage gap between men and women. If one compares the median income of a man versus a woman, women make about 80% of the income that men make on average in a year (80% is the newest statistic, but 78 is still often quoted). There are many reasons for this. For one, women are not valued, so their labor is less valued. Careers which attract women tend to be lower paid and less esteemed. Because the United States is one of the few countries in the world which does not provide paid maternity leave, women must leave the labor force when they have children. This also diminishes wages. Women are more likely to do unpaid labor and care for children as single parents. This too, diminishes their economic power. It was extremely cold and windy on March 8th, but a few dozen intrepid protestors braved the cold for the whole 78 minutes. At various intervals, we banged on a pot and announced the wage gap between various racial minorities and white men. The banging on the pot was met with “boos!” as we expressed our outrage over the racist, ageist, and sexist wage gap. Black women make about 63% of the median income of white men and Hispanic women make 54%. Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders make 60% of the income of white men and Native Americans make 58%. Women over the age of 55 make about 74% of the income of white men the same age. Wage parity is important since it highlights the economic foundations of sexism (and for that matter racism). The event was followed by a panel discussion, which explored other facets of labor. I especially enjoyed when Ariel spoke about sex work and stripping. She provided a balanced view of the pros and cons of the industry, her struggles and successes as a stripper (especially with stigma), and a call to legitimize all the work women do. Kristi provided great information about Earned Safe and Sick Time in Duluth and Katie Humphrey spoke about how women benefit from unions. A great discussion followed. On April 4th, there will be another wage parity event in Duluth, hosted by AAUW.

Feminist Frolic: Labor History Walk + Discussion

Once a month, the Feminist Justice League hosts a feminist frolic, which involves an outdoor activity and a discussion. This month, Adam was going to present on the labor history of Superior while doing a short walk. Only three people showed up, so we decided to table the event for a later time. However, about an hour later, two more people showed up, so I did a presentation of socialist feminism at the Solidarity House.

13th Documentary: March 13

Superior Save the Kids hosted a documentary showing of 13th. I enjoyed that the documentary was dense with history and information, yet easily digestible. It wove a tight narrative of how the criminal justice system is fundamentally racist. For instance, African Americans make up 6.5% of our population, but 40% of the prison population. It is startling to think that there are more prisoners today then there were slaves during the Civil War. The United States is 5% of the world’s population, but hosts 25% of the world’s prison population. According to the film, the rise of the prison industry was a way to profit while oppressing racial minorities (and really everyone as we are all to varying degrees oppressed by a system that divides us, threatens us, and profits from our punishment). To this end, the “scary black man” had to be invented. Thus, around the turn of the last century, a narrative that black men were rapists, out of control, and associated with criminality was concocted. This narrative legitimized the KKK and racist mobs (such as the racist mob which hung Clayton, Jackson, and McGhie in Duluth). The Civil Rights movement challenged outright violence against and segregation of black people, but violence and segregation have continued through the criminal justice system. For instance, in 1970, the prison population was about 350,000 people. Today, there are states with higher prison populations than that number! By 1980, there were 500,000 people in prison. The war on drug, which penalized crack cocaine harder than other drugs, as well as cuts to social programs, ushered in an era of explosive prison population growth. By the mid 1980s, over 700,000 people were imprisoned. By 1990, the number was over one million. In 2000, the number reached 2 million. The Clintons were complicit in this surge, as Bill Clinton wanted to be tough on crime. Through his Crime Bill and other polices, he supported extra police, the militarization of the police, the construction of extra prisons, mandatory minimum sentences, truth in sentencing (which limits parole), etc. Hillary called black youth “super preditors.” I have no illusions with the Democratic party. But, to be fair, Trump wanted the death penalty for youth. The movie also pointed out that the mass incarceration of African Americans has resulted in a crisis of leadership or less ability to organize themselves for their own rights. There was also information about ALEC, for profit prisons, and the movement of individualizing prison through GPS tracking/ankle bracelets. I had to work that night, so I missed the discussion, but it was a powerful and informative film. Save the Kids hopes to continue to show films on a monthly basis. On April 10th, Selma will be shown.

Bi with (Pizza) Pie: Trans in Prison- March 20th

Each month, Pandemonium, the local Bi+ group gets together for a presentation on a topic. This month, Lucas Dietsche led the discussion with a presentation on the challenges that trans individuals face in the criminal justice system. He gave a very informed and engaging presentation on this topic. Some of the challenges include getting sent to a prison that misgenders the individual (so typically transwomen end up in men’s prisons or transwomen in men’s prisons), lack of access to hormones or other treatments, sexual assault, solitary confinement, lack of access to gender specific items such as bras, solitary confinement, and use of a legal name rather than preferred name or pronouns. When writing to trans prisoners, Lucas noted that the writer can not address the envelope or letter to the preferred name of the individual. The DOC requires that senders must use the legal name of the prisoner. He also noted that the DOC does not track trans individuals since it does not view them as trans. Rather, it lists them as their legal or birth sex. Thus, it is hard to know exactly how many trans individuals are in the prison system as the system renders them invisible. Lucas also mentioned some examples of trans people in prison or who have been in prison, such as Cece McDonald and Chelsea Manning. In the future, we would like to host an LGBTQ Letters to Prisoners Event.

UMD Women and Gender Studies Presentation: March 21st

I was invited to speak at a Feminist Activism and Community Organizing Class at UMD. This was a great experience. I spent the hour speaking about how theory informs the organizational tools that I chose to utilize as a feminist. I spoke about socialist feminism and my focus on building mass movements over electoral politics. The coolest part was that one of the students had read one of my blog posts prior to my visit to the class!

Socialism and a Slice: March 27

One a month, Socialist Action hosts Socialism and a Slice. This is an event for local activists to get together and enjoy pizza while discussing current events. At this meeting, Henry Banks provided us with some information about Uber. He made a strong argument against Uber on the basis that it is not regulated, it can drive up the price of taxis, and that taxis themselves are often utilized by people of color and low income individuals (contrasted with Uber which has more middle class white appeal). Taxi companies are more likely to be unionized than Uber and Adam R. pointed out that during Trump’s immigration ban, Uber continued providing ride services while NY taxi drivers were on strike. Later, Uber undercut taxi drivers who returned to work by turning off surge pricing (that is, when taxi demand goes up, prices tend to go up). This disgusting scabbing should be enough to turn a person off of Uber for good, as it seems that Uber only supports society’s “ubers” and uber profits. Unfortunately, Duluth’s City Council passed a resolution in support of ride share companies later that night.

Homeless Bill of Rights:

The Homeless Bill of Rights meets each Thursday at 6:30 at Dorothy Day House. I did not become involved with the group until October, but the organization has been tirelessly and relentlessly working on this issue since 2013. Finally, after all this time, the Homeless Bill or Rights is finally moving forward. Two important things happened this month. Firstly, the Duluth City Council voted that they wanted to move forward or for action to occur related to the bill. Although this doesn’t mean too much, it does mean that they are looking to see some sort of progress on this issue in the future and are committed to being a part of that. Another hopeful turn of events is that the Human Rights Commission voted to support the language and eleven points of the Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights. They also support this as an ordinance or a template for moving forward with an ordinance. This does not mean that this will be the ordinance that the City Council eventually vote on, as this requires further negotiation. However, it is a nice step forward.

This is a promotional photo taken by the Homeless Person’s Bill of Rights Coalition. The featured individual is an activist who is engaged in this campaign and who has spoken about her experiences (Shareeka), though many individuals had their photos taken to promote the ordinance.

Hotdish Militia:

The Hotdish Militia has continued to meet each Thursday at 5:30. The big project that the group is working on is a Bowl-a-thon to raise funds in support of local abortion access at the Women’s Health Center. The funds go directly to local, low income women (or possibly men/trans/gender non-binary) so they can afford an abortion or other reproductive health care. Right now, we are working on raising funds, but also soliciting businesses for prizes to award the teams. The bowling event will be held on April 29th. Thus far, the fundraiser has raised over 2000 dollars. The goal is $5000. My own modest team, The Feminist Justice League, has raised over $400. While we are not the biggest fundraisers, I am proud that we have raised anything at all and thankful to the donors who have supported us!

Doctrine of Discovery: 3/30/17

Peace United Church hosted a showing of the documentary, Doctrine of Discovery. The film is about how Papal law from the late 1400s has been used to justify the denial of land rights and self-determination of Native Americans. Catholic law has been the basis of U.S. policy regarding Native Americans throughout our entire history. Basically, Catholics did not recognize the right of Native Americans to own their land. Rather, as “heathens” they were viewed as subhumans who benefited from civilization and who did not have rights to the land because they were not making “productive use” of it. As late as 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court (Ruth Bader Ginsburg no less) has upheld this archaic worldview. In fact, this worldview is the foundation of the United State’s very existence. To recognize the property rights of Native Americans would challenge capitalism and the taken for granted right of white people to inhabit/exploit this land. The documentary was awesome and I enjoyed the thoughtful discussion that followed. I also enjoyed learning the origins of some words. For instance, colonization comes from the word colon. To colonize is to digest. What a powerful metaphor. Europeans digested Native Americans by consuming their land, taking their lives, and destroying their culture.

Trans Visibility Day: 3/31/17

The month ended with a picket in support of Trans Visibility Day. Trans Visibility Day was founded in 2009 in the United States to promote positive visibility of the trans community (as opposed to Trans Remembrance Day which is focused on violence against and victimization of trans individuals). Locally, the event was sponsored by the Prism Community, though I believe that other groups such as Trans+ and UWS Gender Equity Resource Center were also involved. The event which I attended was a picket, but the previous night there was a poster making session and later on Friday evening, Prism sponsored a film showing of National Geographic’s Gender Revolution. I did not attend the film. However, the picket was very well attended. It was great to see so many young people, especially high school students. I also liked all the glitter and colorful hair! There was a lot of positive energy! Many vehicles honked in support of the event and I only noticed a few pedestrians and one driver making rude gestures or comments. This was my first time attending Trans Visibility Day and it was a great experience. I also received a few compliments on my sign!

Self Care:

I am not a superhuman, so I did take time for myself. I had a fabulous time attending the MN Ballet’s Firebird. What is better than Stravinsky, Russian folk tales, and my favorite kick ass lich Koschei?! I also visited St. Croix State Park. I saw two fields of tundra swans near the park. Today, I did some birding at WI Point and saw many common mergansers. I also painted some bird houses and worked on editing one of the vampire novels I’ve written. I wish there were more hours in the day. I didn’t have enough time to read or pursue other hobbies. Oh well. It was a great month and I am looking forward to a fun filled, activist driven April!

The Story of International Women’s Day

H. Bradford

3/4/17

I first became aware of International Women’s Day when I was in my early 20s. I learned about it through my Russian language class in college. The professor gave all of the women in the class a flower and explained that the holiday was a little bit like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day in Russia. This quaint and apolitical version of International Women’s Day remained my template for understanding the holiday until after I became a socialist. This understanding mirrored my understanding of May Day as a spring holiday with cute baskets. Yet, both holidays are more than just flowers and baskets. They are both celebrations that honor a long history of struggle against capitalism.

You mean International Women’s Day is not just a cute Russian holiday?

The Socialist Roots of International Women’s Day:

While I learned about International Women’s Day in the context of Russian culture, the holiday, like May Day, actually originates in the United States. The first “National Woman’s Day” was organized by the Socialist Party and held on February 23, 1909. The New York event was attended by over 2000 people and featured speaks such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Leonora O’Reilly. The first “National Woman’s Day” focused on suffrage and women’s equality. It was also called in support of ongoing labor organizing of garment workers, such as march of 15,000 workers which had occurred the year before. At the time, socialists wrestled with the issue of balancing the demand for suffrage with their traditional focus on the economic rights of women, but ultimately, committed themselves to both through the advocacy of women within the socialist party. Like May Day, the holiday was later popularized in Europe. In 1910, women from 100 countries, consisting of socialists, labor organizers, working women’s clubs, and three female Finnish members of Parliament, gathered in Copenhagen for the Second International Congress of Women. It is at this meeting that German socialist, Luise Zietz and Clara Zetkin, motioned to create an International Women’s Day the following year. The first International Women’s Day event was held March 18, 1911 and featured over a million demonstrators across Europe who used the event commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Paris Commune and assert the economic and political rights of women. That same year, on March 25, 1911, 146 mostly immigrant women lost their lives in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York. Because of unsafe working conditions, including locked doors to prevent theft and a lack of fire alarms on some of the floors, a fire originating in a pile of scrap material killed a quarter of the workforce in less than twenty minutes. The fire was a catalyst for new safety regulations and a rallying cry for unionizing garment workers. It was also memorialized in future International Women’s Day events.

Early International Women’s Day observances were focused on labor, suffrage, and other facets of political and economic equality. While the relationship between socialists and suffragists was uneasy, the socialists became increasingly committed to suffrage and collaborating with suffragists during this time period. American socialists actually marched together with suffragists in Boston a few days before women’s day in 1911. While suffrage seems obvious today, at the time, socialists worried that suffrage would mean women could be drafted, thereby becoming instruments of capitalist wars. There were also concerns that women were politically conservative and that suffragists tended to consist of wealthier and middle class women whose interests were not the same as working class women. Despite misgivings socialists had regarding suffrage, the early celebrations of women’s day were expressions of their commitment to the economic and political equality of women. According to the Russian socialist, Alexandra Kollontai (1920), North American socialists played a prominent role in arguing to other socialists that suffrage was a worthy demand.

International Women’s Day and the Russian Revolution:

Peace became another central demand of International Women’s Day organizers during World War One. Unfortunately, socialists who had been elected into office, were blinded by nationalism and voted to enter World War One, thereby discrediting Socialist Parties. However, in 1915 Clara Zetkin called a conference of women in Bern, Switzerland and encouraged them to demonstrate against war, even if this meant treason. Women from countries involved in World War One were denied passports to attend this meeting and unfortunately, the only country that managed to host a demonstration in 1915 was Norway, though some women from war beleaguered European countries managed to attend. It is during this time that International Women’s Day was first celebrated in Russia, which went on to play an important role in the holiday’s history. The first Russian “Working Women’s Day” was organized in 1913 as a meeting, as demonstrations were illegal in tsarist Russia. The following year, organizers for a “Working Women’s Day” were put into prison and the demonstration was stymied by police intervention. State repression prevented Russian further observances of International Women’s Day until 1917 By then, the Russian population was weary from war, poverty, hunger, and tsarist autocracy. The threat of imprisonment could not contain the anger of the masses. On March 8th, 1917, or February 23rd by our calendar, women in Petrograd took to the streets to demand bread and an end to the war, which had taken the lives of two million Russians. Garment workers played a central role in the strike, but other workers joined them, swelling to a mass of 75,000 workers on the first day and 200,000 on the second. By the third day, 400,000 workers participated in the strike in Petrograd. Four days later, military garrisons revolted and police went into hiding. The International Women’s Day strike in Petrograd spread across the country, becoming what is now known as the February Revolution. The revolution resulted in the abdication of the tsar a week later, ending over 400 years of tsarist rule and set the stage for the October revolution later that year.

The Russian revolution ushered in a variety of advances for women. The October revolution granted full suffrage to women and enacted equal pay. Russia became the first country to legalize abortion, which it provided free and on demand until Stalin came to power. Divorce became easily obtainable and marriage was treated as a civil matter rather than religious affair. Daycares and communal kitchens and laundries were established to alleviate the burden of unpaid labor. Paid maternity leave was also extended to women, something that the United States lacks 100 years later. All of this was granted to women during a time of civil war and economic collapse on the already shoddy foundation of centuries of tsarist autocracy and an undeveloped economy. Many of these remarkable accomplishments were later rolled back by Stalin, who rebranded International Women’s Day as a benign Soviet Valentine’s Day. The revolutionary character of the holiday was largely forgotten and the holiday itself became associated with communism, as countries ruled by Communist Parties tended to be the ones which made it an official holiday. Like May Day, Cold War politics, which sought to tame, ignore, or persecute the far left, meant that International Women’s Day went mostly unnoticed in the U.S.

The Struggle Continues:

International Women’s Day was a largely Communist holiday until the late 1960s. The emergence of the feminist movement in renewed interest in the holiday, though, since socialists participated in the feminist movement, they may have played a role in promoting the holiday. In any event, the holiday became less associated with communism after International Women’s Day was promoted by feminists and adopted by the United Nations in 1975. As of 2014, International Women’s Day was observed in over 100 countries. The United Nation’s version of International Women’s Day doesn’t quite capture the militant spirit of the original celebrations. Each year has featured a theme, such as human rights, decision making, progress, and empowerment. However, these themes often sound more like Girl Scout Badges that women should earn rather than rallying calls for the next revolution. Thus, for most of my life as a feminist, I have been disappointed by the lack of interest or action around the holiday. The Feminist Justice League, formerly known as the Twin Ports Women’s Rights Coalition, has organized International Women’s Day events in the past, but these were never well attended and there was never much community interest in them.

All of this has changed this year after four million women marched on January 21st. In the wake of this event, the Women’s March has called for 10 actions in 100 days. Prior to calling for a “Day without a Woman” Strike on March 8th, feminists around the world were calling for a strike. Women in Poland, Ireland, and Argentina have been particularly active in this call. In Ireland, women plan to strike on March 8th in protest of restrictive abortion laws there. In October, women in Poland striked against the introduction of legislation which sought to criminalize in all cases but imminent danger to the mother’s life. In Argentina, and across Latin America, women striked against femicide in October, catalyzed by the gruesome rape and murder of Lucia Perez. The strikers tied the violence against women to the economic conditions that women face, such as unpaid labor, unequal wages, and neoliberal reforms that have cut public spending, all of which render women unequal and vulnerable. In solidarity with these struggles, and to spotlight the economic component of women’s oppression, the Women’s March called for a strike on March 8th. This strike was called in mid-February. As a result of the resurgence of feminism, events will be held all over the United States and abroad. Locally, the Feminist Justice League is hosting a 78 minute symbolic strike, followed by a march and a panel which focuses on women as workers. This event will be held at 5 pm on March 8th at the MN Power Plaza. However, it is one of a dozen local events. Other events include an the Feminist Action Collective’s International Women’s Day celebration on March 10th at Beaner’s, Domestic Violence Action Day on March 7th at noon at the Duluth City Hall, PAVSA’s pack the Plaza at 11:30 am on the 8th, and a solidarity with Honduras event at 2:30 at the Building for Women on March 5th. This is just a sample of the wave of feminist actions for International Women’s Day.

Conclusion:

I am excited by the revival of interest in International Women’s Day and feminism in general. Sometimes there is so much activity that I worry that I will be washed away in this new wave of feminist activity. At the same time, I am incredibly proud to be a socialist. Some people enjoy pointing out their genealogy, finding joy that at some point in history they descended from a king or Viking. I take pride in my socialist genealogy. I take pride in my membership to a party which descends from the Russian revolution and from the socialists before this. I feel that the history of International Women’s Day is my history. It is my history as a socialist, as a worker, and as a woman. Of course, International Women’s Day should be for everyone. The story of garment workers dying in a fire continues to be the story of all workers who face dangerous conditions. The story of immigrant women who were afraid to organize because of their marginal position in society, continues to be story of immigrants. The story of women standing up against the senseless loss of war should still be our story. The story of women standing up to soldiers and the police, protesting in the face of state repression, should still be our story. This gives new meaning to, “…and still she persisted.” The story of women trying to build an international feminist movement should be our story. The story of women connecting femicide to neoliberal policies and economic inequality should be our story. The story of women making revolution should be our story.

Glow for Roe: The Importance of Being Seen

H. Bradford

1/28/17

Visibility is important to any social movement. For instance, Pride Festivals and parades make sexual diversity visible to the general public. Offices, newspapers, fliers, and tables at events are ways that socialist groups make themselves visible. The Women’s March on Washington, along with the marches elsewhere in the country, was a way to make the feminist movement visible across America. It drew attention to demands and anger in the face of this administration, but also in response to the decades of failures and defeats in realizing gender equality in this country. There are times when movements must strategically choose invisibility, such as when the violent repression of the state is so great that visibility risks death, injury, or imprisonment. At this moment in time, this is not generally the case. This is the time to be visible. That was my reasoning for trying to organize “Glow for Roe.” I think it is important for people who support reproductive rights to be seen. The point of the event was to turn out for a “glowing” protest in support of reproductive rights. It was one of several Roe v. Wade events last weekend, each of which raised the profile of reproductive rights activism in the Twin Ports. The following is why it is important to stand up and be seen.

We are the Majority:

According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, seven out of ten Americans want to keep abortion legal. In a 2015 survey from the Brookings Institute, 59% of women reported that they wanted abortion to be legal in all or most cases. It is fair to say that most Americans want abortion to remain legal. So, this is excellent! By participating in events like Glow for Roe, the 40 days of Choice, Planned Parenthood support pickets, or the Hotdish Militia’s party/counter protest of the Jericho March, pro-choice activists can show other pro-choice individuals that they are not alone. Those who are engaged in social movements are always a minority of those who actually support them. As such, activists play a role in affirming the beliefs and identities of those who may not be visibly involved in the movement. They also play a role in visibly countering the beliefs of those who disagree.

Abortion is stigmatized:

While most people support keeping abortion legal, many people also support restrictions on legal abortions. These abortions include such things as waiting periods, parental consent, funding barriers, restrictions on how late in a pregnancy abortion can occur, mandatory ultrasounds, hospital admission rights, etc. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 338 abortion restrictions were introduced between 2010-2016, accounting for 30% of the restrictions passed since 1973. So, while public opinion generally supports legal abortion, in reality, legal abortion has been eroded by an onslaught of restrictions. Restrictions make it more difficult and expensive to obtain an abortion. At the core of these restrictions is the idea that abortion is something other than health care. While one in three women have had abortions, it is secret and stigmatized. In the 1990s, Hillary Clinton popularized the idea that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. By adding “rare” to the discourse, it stigmatized abortion and framed it as a moral rather than medical issue. There have been 1,142 restrictions on abortion passed since 1973. According to NARAL-Pro Choice America, states have passed 835 anti-choice measures since 1995. This means that Over 70% of the restrictions have been passed since the mid 1990s! Stigmatizing abortion or calling for it to become rare justifies restricting it, thus further limiting access. Being visible, on the street, protesting for choice is a way to be seen as an unapologetic supporter of abortion and the women who make that choice. It is a way to destigmatize abortion, bringing abortion as a word, idea, and medical experience into the public sphere.

The Other Side is Visible

Another important reason to protest in support of reproductive rights is because the pro-life movement is large, well-funded, and enjoys a lot of institutional support from churches, social movement organizations, and even the government (through politicians, tax breaks, and state funded crisis pregnancy centers). They are visible. Not only are they visible, they are violent. In 1994, arson destroyed a Planned Parenthood in Brainerd, MN burned along with several neighboring businesses. In 2002, five shots were fired into the rebuilt building, breaking a window and damaging a wall and ceiling. The building finally closed in 2011 due to losing Title X funding. The location did not provide abortion services. The Planned Parenthood in Grand Rapids, MN was also fired at in 2002. Since 1993, at least 11 people have died in attacks on abortion clinics. There are elements of the pro-life movement who seem to believe that they are at war. Of course, even their peaceful demonstrating constitutes a war against women, but for some, there is a call to violence. This is terrifying. This is also a reason why visibly supporting choice is important. Clinic staff and patrons need defenders who will visibly stand up for their right to life! At some level, not mobilizing into a visible mass movement is irresponsible when abortion clinic workers life on the line each day they go to work. Our visibility is the least we can do.

Our Rights are Threatened:

It is important to be seen because our rights are threatened. They have been threatened since 1973. The barrage of restrictions. The Hyde Amendment. The Global Gag rule-again. Here we are, forty four years after Roe v. Wade and it feels like reproductive rights are a fluke. A set of rights that slipped past the goalie. No one actually believes that women are human beings. No one actually believes that women can have autonomy over their body. No one actually believes that women should not be punished for having sex. There are people in this society that want to see women go to jail for having an abortion. Despite having the largest prison population in the world, this warped logic concludes the United States would be better if we imprisoned ⅓ of all women. The only people who believe that the equality of women hinges upon their ability to control their bodies are feminists. Like abortion, feminism has been stigmatized. It is a bad word. No one wants to admit to having an abortion OR being a feminist. Well, it is important to be visible as a feminist since no one else is going to advocate for women. No one else believes abortion access is a fundamental and necessary conditions of our liberation. We are the vanguard of all women. Our rights are threatened. They have barely been realized. No one else will stand up for our rights, but ourselves.

We Can be Visible:

There are places and times in history where women have not been able to be visible. I imagine communist Romania, wherein women were forced to have pregnancy tests each month at their workplaces. They were monitored by the state to make sure they did not have abortions. At the same time, contraceptives were banned by the state. Thus, women were given no choice. Well, some chose illegal abortion, resulting in the death of over 9,000 women. I consider death a choiceless choice. Until last year, abortion was illegal in all cases in Chile. This meant that an 11 year old rape victim was denied the right to abortion in a high profile case several years again. Since many Latin American countries have very restrictive abortion laws, women at risk of Zika virus were told to abstain from sex for two years. In Saudi Arabia, women can have an abortion only if pregnancy threatens their life, and then with parental or spousal consent. We are fortunate that we still have some rights and that we are able to assemble and speak our minds without serious threat from the police (in most cases). The Women’s March was criticized for its coziness with the police, but we can certainly use this to our advantage. We should speak out while we can and because we can!

Making Socialist Resolutions:

An Activist’s New Year

by H. Bradford

12/13/16

New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, so I have spent the month doing an audit of my goals and hopes for 2016. While some socialists are known to make revolutions, I am prone to making resolutions. This year I tracked my goals in a small journal, which has provided me with a lot of data on how this year went. I had over 50 New Year’s Resolutions last year and completed around half of them. The goals I didn’t complete are probably more interesting and revealing than the ones that I did. One of the goals on the list was to attend 40 political events. I wrote that goal without any idea of how many events that I actually attend during the year. As of today, I am at over 75 events! Of course, life should be about quality over quantity. However, the number attests to how active I was during this year! With that said, here are some highlights of a year in activism.

Socialism and a Slice: This is a once a month current event discussion group which meets at Pizza Luce to discuss news from an anti-capitalist perspective. There is a fun group of core people who have been attending. The group tends to focus on local events and the discussions have helped us coordinate and plan things as activists.

Anti-Rape Protest: Take back the Park: This event was organized in response to a pro-rape meetup that was supposed to happen in Duluth. It is bizarre to think that there are men who actually believe that rape should be legalized and that rape is a legitimate activity within the privacy of their homes. It is scary! It is scary that they wanted to meet up! Dozens of people held a vigil on February 6th, 2016 at Leif Erickson Park to stand against rape and rape culture. It was awesome! To my knowledge, no pro-rape activists showed up.

AFSCME Meetings/Steward Training: Since June I have been attending monthly AFSCME meetings. I am proud to be one of the 11% of workers who belong to a union. It is also great to connect with other people who are labor activists working in the nonprofit sector. Another highlight was that in November I attended a training to become a steward.

Homeless Bill of Rights: I have attended some meetings and events as time permits. I was proud that I was able to contribute to the group by getting my union local 3558 to endorse the Homeless Bill of Rights. It is only one of two union locals who endorsed it. Though, the entire Central Labor body endorsed it. I also feel glad that I collected a few pages of signatures for the petition in support of the Homeless Bill of Rights. The City Council may vote on it in February, but the struggle will continue as we try to provide accessible bathrooms for the homeless community.

Feminist Frolics: This is a new activity which is sponsored by the Twin Ports Women’s Rights Coalition. Once a month we host an outdoor activity combined with an educational presentation. A highlight was researching a feminist history of Halloween, then going on a spooky night time hike to an abandoned cemetery. The point of these events is to build community and raise feminist consciousness.

Chalk for Choice: This was another new event that the TPWRC sponsored/participated in. This involved creating beautiful art and messages to support the women who work and use services at the Building for Women. We did a few Chalk for Choice events and look forward to doing more in the future.

40 Days of Choice: Each Friday during the 40 days of Life, the TPWRC organized two counter protests of the anti-choice vigil outside the building. One of the highlights of the 40 Days for Choice was wearing our Candy Land themed Halloween costumes on the final event. I made protest signs to match our costumes. Keep Abortion Safe, Legal, and Minty!

Pride: There are some years that I don’t attend the local pride festival at all. This year I didn’t work so I had the opportunity to run in the Hummingbird 5k, table at the festival with Safe Haven, and walk in the pride parade with Grandmother’s for Peace. This made for a fun, vibrant, memorable Pride weekend!

Radical Cheerleaders: Back in 2010, I organized a radical cheerleading group called the Rah Rah Revolutionaries. The group evaporated when I moved to Mankato for graduate school. This year, I revived the group on a modest scale. Hopefully, it can be a spring/summer project. The Rah Rah Revolutionaries are a modest ad hoc group, but we did contribute to Take Back the Night by welcoming people to the event with our cheers. We also did some cheers and chants at an anti-war picket on the anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. Finally, we appeared at one of the 40 Days of Choice events. It is fun to put on a cheerleading costume and do chants for reproductive rights or against war.

10.Pandemonium: Pandemonium was started up in October and meets once a month for “Bi with Pie.” I have wanted to be a part of a bi+ group for some time, since I think that bisexuality is not a very visible and legitimate sexuality in our society. One of the catalysts for creating the group was attending a vigil for the victims of the Orlando night club massacre last June. I was asked to be interviewed but felt shy because I didn’t feel like I was queer enough. I think that a bi group is important for bisexuals so that they can develop identity and community and better connect with the larger LGBTQ community.

11.Islamophobia Protest: What better way can a person spend Valentine’s Day than with a picket that shows love and support for the Muslim community. The event was organized by Break the Bonds (an Israel divestment group) and Kym Young after Superior Mayor, Bruce Hagen made disparaging remarks about Muslims.

Hiroshima/Nagasaki Vigil: This event is organized each August by Veterans for Peace and Grandmothers for Peace. It was a beautiful event hosted at the Japanese garden at Enger Tower. This was my first year attending. Oddly enough, they were short on speakers so I was asked to speak (from a script). That was neat. Hiroshima/Nagasaki has always interested/concerned me. When I was in high school, I went to state for a speech on the topic of the atomic bombings. As a student in Korea, I went on a weekend adventure with some fellow students to Hiroshima. It is startling and horrific what our nation did to two civilian populations. Zombie movies have nothing on the grotesque reality of our militant foreign policy.

Letters for Prisoners: I have only attended two meetings of this group, but wrote my first letters to prisoners. I wrote to Oscar Lopez Rivera and Leonard Peltier, but members of the group can write to any prisoner (famous or not). I wrote Rivera about a trip to Puerto Rico this spring and my impressions of it as a pseudo-colony. I wasn’t sure what to write because I am not very knowledgeable about the Puerto Rican independence movement. I wrote Leonard Peltier about a local picket that Socialist Action hosts on his birthday each year and some local Standing Rock actions that have happened (I have only attended a few Standing Rock events, so I just mentioned my impressions of those events).

Social Events: Socialist Action hosts a few social events each year. This year we did a “commie con” themed Marxmas Party, which was attended by about 25 people. We also did a Fall of Capitalism Party in October, which included trivia, fall foods, and a visit from Karen Schraufnagel (Socialist Action’s Vice President Candidate). Our final social event was a Bolshevik Bonfire on Wisconsin Point.

Speaking to a Class: I was invited to speak informally to a class at UMD about domestic violence and working at a shelter. It was a wonderful opportunity and made me feel like my experiences matter and that I have knowledge worth sharing.

This is just a sample from my list of 75 events. Since some of these groups or events happened more than once, it quickly added up to that total. Based upon the list, I would say that I am weak on my participation in racial justice and environmental issues. I have started to attend a few SURJ meetings, so perhaps that can help me become a better ally in the area of racial justice. As for the environment, I attended a documentary last night, but it was focused on marketizing carbon and buying electric cars to solve climate change (which isn’t the anti-capitalist solution I am looking for). As a whole, I am proud of my engagement. This stems from being a socialist. Once a person becomes anti-capitalist, it is hard to see issues in isolation. A person cannot fight sexism without also fighting racism, ableism, and classism. A person cannot promote the interests of workers at the expense of the environment or promote environmentalism without looking at how classism, racism, gender, and ability intersect with environmental issues. War is also an issue of feminism, class, race, and environment. Thus, I am not attending events for the sake of reaching a magical number, but trying to be engaged on many fronts in the war against capitalism. The numbers encourage me and make me feel proud for trying hard to be a “good” activist. Since activism is pretty thankless and misunderstood, I think it is okay to give myself a pat on the back for doing my best this year!

Bringing Bisexuality and Domestic Violence Into Focus

H. Bradford

11/22/16

Last month, Pandemonium met for the first time. Pandemonium is a modest bisexual/pansexual/ omnisexual/generally bi+ group that I am working to organize. Our first meeting was chaotic, but lively. A disturbing theme that came out of our first discussion was that many of the members had experienced violence of some kind. Since October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month and LGBT history month, I thought that this theme deserved more attention. As such, I wanted to investigate this topic further and bring my findings back to the group for our November meeting. Indeed, being bisexual increases the likelihood that a person may be the victim of intimate partner violence.

The Statistics:

According to a 2010 report from the CDC, 61.1% of bisexual women have experienced either rape, stalking, or physical violence from an intimate partner (North, 2016). If molestation is added to this list, the rare is 75% (Davidson, 2013). In contrast to bisexuals, 35% of straight women and 43.8% of lesbian women have experienced stalking, rape, or physical violence (North, 2016). If only rape is account for, 46.1% of bisexual women report having been raped, compared to 13.1% of lesbian and 14.7% of straight women. Further, of the bisexual women who have reported domestic violence, 57.4% reported that they had experienced adverse effects such as PTSD or missed work, compared to 35.5% of lesbians and 28.2% of straight women. This means that not only are bisexual women experiencing domestic violence at higher rates, they are suffering more adverse effects from this violence. Finally, most bisexual victims of domestic violence had been abused by male partners, as men accounted for 89.5% of offenders (North, 2016). As a whole, bisexual women are the number one target of domestic violence, followed by bisexual men who experience it at a rate of 47.4%. This is followed by lesbian women, heterosexual women, gay men, and straight men (Davidson, 2013). This is very startling, as bisexual men and women are both the targets of domestic violence.

In Canada, 28% of bisexuals reported being victims of spousal abuse versus 7% of heterosexuals. According to the BC Adolescent Health Survey, Bisexual girls between ages 12 and 18 were twice as likely to report dating violence than heterosexual girls (Bielski, 2016). In the UK, one in four bisexual women and lesbian women have experienced domestic violence. Among these victims, ⅔ reported that their abuser was a woman, versus ⅓ reported a man. Four in ten bisexual and lesbian women with a disability reported domestic violence. While the UK statistics lump bisexual and lesbian women into the same grouping, the findings shows the intersectionality of abuse (Stonewall Health Briefing, 2012). In this case, disability and sexuality put the women at greater risk of abuse. The statistics from the UK, U.S., and Canada each suggest that bisexuality can be connected to increased incidences of intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking. This begs the question, why is this the case?

The Media:

It is easy to blame the media for social problems, but it is a useful starting point. Certainly, the media plays a role in shaping public perception by popularizing ideas, framing questions and ideas, focusing on some information over other information, and setting parameters of what is discussed and how it is discussed. Davidson (2013) observed that the media, especially pornography, sends a message that bisexual women are depraved, immoral, promiscuous, and have commitment issues. These portrayals of bisexual women actually victim blames them or justifies their abuse through negative portrayals. This portrayal of bisexuals represents or contributes to biphobia, which often goes unnoticed or unaddressed in larger discussions of homophobia. As a matter of example, consider the case of Amber Heard. Before her divorce trial, many people may not have known that she was bisexual. According to Bielski (2016), Amber Heard was painted as a gold digger in the media, even as evidence of the violence against her from her then husband Johnny Depp began to emerge. Despite these accusations, Heard actually donated her divorce settlement money to charity. She donated half of the settlement to the ACLU for the purpose of ending violence against women. Aside from gold digging, her bisexuality was also used to discredit her, as tabloids portrayed her as promiscuous and that it was Depp’s jealousy that drove him to beat her. Even in the face of grotesque evidence, such as a video of Depp kicking kitchen cupboards while shouting at her, photos of her bruised face and swollen lip, and a sexual slur scrawled on their mirror, she was blamed for making him jealous (Bielski, 2016).

Dynamics of Domestic Violence:

While the media plays a role in shaping public perception about bisexuality, it does not explain why bisexuals are victimized to begin with. Bisexuality may be used as an excuse by gay or straight abusers to exert control over their victim. To the abuser, it may represent identity, power, and the possibility of sexual attraction to others. Controlling behaviors include such things as surveillance, such as checking email or text messages and using isolation, such as not allowing bisexual victims to spend time with anyone of any gender. To abusers, bisexuality itself may be viewed as something that needs to be controlled. Farnsworth (2016) argued that bisexual people, along with people of color, disabled people, neurodivergent people are often treated as “others.” “Othering” a group of people diminishes their humanity and legitimacy. “Othered” people often have their consent ignored. Bisexuals and other oppressed groups may be told that they deserve their abuse and that no one else would want them. Many people in the LGBTQ community also face poverty, which is a barrier to leaving abusive relationships as these individuals may be financially dependent upon their partner. (Farnsworth, 2016). In fact, bisexual women are twice as likely to live in poverty than lesbian women (Kristal, 2016). Finally, in the larger society, bisexuals are demeaned, sexualized, and ignored. Until this is changes, they will be at greater risk of violence (Farnsworth, 2016).

Beyond some of the dynamics of domestic violence, shelters may also bear some of the blame. For instance, in testimonies gathered for a White House meeting on bisexuality, one woman reported that she was denied shelter at a Chicago domestic violence shelter because the shelter was for women with male abusers. When she sought a resource for the gay community, she was told that because she was bi she did not qualify for their services. Unfortunately, gender variant individuals and gay and bisexual men have few resources available to them (Hutchins, 2013). While bisexual men are the group that is second most likely to experience domestic violence, there is only one shelter in the United States that is explicitly for male victims of domestic violence. This shelter is located in Arkansas, has nine beds, and opened in 2015 (Markus, 2016). Females are by far the majority of domestic violence victims, but it is important that men also have services, as well as transgender individuals. Everyone of any sexuality and gender identity deserves to be safe from violence.

Another facet of domestic violence is mental health. Bisexual women are at greater risk of depression and anxiety compared to gay or straight women. This mental health risk could be because of the stigma of being bisexual (Buzzfeed). However, if 75% of bisexual women have been stalked, raped, molested, or victims of domestic violence, this increased incidence of depression and anxiety may be related to trauma. A study published by the University of Montreal found that among 1052 mothers who were studied over ten years, those who had experienced domestic violence were twice as likely to suffer from depression and had three times the risk of developing schizophrenia-like psychotic symptoms. Among the women who had been abused by their partner, they were more likely to have substance abuse, early pregnancy, childhood abuse, and poverty (University of Montreal, 2015). Factors such as mental health and substance abuse create a vicious feedback effect. Abuse creates mental health problems, financial problems, pregnancy, and substance abuse. In turn, all of these things makes a person more vulnerable to abuse. As abusers target often vulnerable people, the previous abuse and mental health issues experienced by bisexuals may may play into the abuse (Bielski, 2016). This is not meant to blame them, but to show that their previous victimization may make them more vulnerable to future abuse.

Biphobia and Bi-Erasure:

All bisexuals experience biphobia and bi-erasure to some degree. Biphobia is hatred and prejudice against bisexuals. A 2015 study in the Journal of Bisexuality found that heterosexuals and gays and lesbians had almost identical prejudices against bisexuals. According to the reported experiences of the surveyed bisexuals, both heterosexuals and homosexuals treated bisexuals as if they were more likely cheat and were sexually confused. Both group also excluded bisexuals from their social networks (Allen, 2016). While bisexuals may be viewed negatively as promiscuous, wild, immoral, and disloyal, their voices, histories, identities, and experiences are ignored. This is called bi-erasure. Biphobia and bi-erasure can make coming out harder for bisexuals. Their partners may not understand or think that a bi person is not satisfied (Farnsworth, 2016). For individuals who are not “out”, they may face challenges when leaving their abuser. For instance, in the book, Violence against Queer People: Race, Class, Gender, and the Persistence of Anti-LBGT Descrimination, a woman named Dorothy reported facing an additional barrier when she left her husband since she left him to enter her first same-sex relationship (it should be noted that in this example she identified as a lesbian). Thus, leaving the relationship made harder by the fact that this would “out” her to others. A woman named Leslie reported that her bisexuality was used to legitimize the abuse and control her. The abuse worsened after she was married. She was accused of flirting with both men and women. After she was pregnant, he accused her of wanting to sleep with their waitress when they went out to dinner together (Meyer, 2015). Once again, her bisexuality was something threatening to her partner. In a 2012 Human Rights Campaign survey, bisexual teen girls reported that they were called “whores” or forced to make out with other girls for their partner (Kristal, 2016). Again, negative stereotypes about bisexuals resulted in slut shaming and coercive sexual acts. Because bisexual women are believed to be promiscuous and sexually adventurous, consent is assumed (Bielski, 2016). Thus, it is no wonder why bisexuals are victims of sexual assault at a greater rate per their population than individuals with other sexual identities.

Relationship/Sexual Norms:

At some level, bisexuality challenges sexual norms. While this is not true of all bisexuals, a study that appeared in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity found that bisexuals reported that monogamy was a sacrifice at greater rates than straights and gays. An equal amount of bisexuals found monogamy to be a sacrifice as there were bisexuals who found it rewarding. Nevertheless, gays and straights both reported monogamy as more rewarding than bisexuals. Thus, while viewing monogamy as a sacrifice does not indicate that the respondents were polyamorous and promiscuous, it does indicate that they were less likely than their straight and gay counterparts to find monogamy rewarding (Vrangalova, 2014). Many bisexuals that I have spoken with are perfectly capable of monogamy, myself included. However, to those whom I spoken with, there is often a sense of sacrifice or duty involved with this monogamy. It is often framed as a sacrifice made for the sake of companionship or a stable relationship with a particular individual. At some level, bisexuality does threaten monosexual partners. It does play into their insecurities and jealousies. This is no excuse for abuse, but this represents a flaw with our relationships. Society normalizes jealousy and insecurity. Countless films and television shows feature couples who show their love through jealous behaviors. An individual who is not jealous, is not viewed as emotional. Taken to the extreme, jealousy can be abusive. But, all monogamous relationships involve some level of control over the sexuality of another human being. So, while bisexuals are capable of monogamous relationship, they are at the same time more apt to question monogamy. This is very threatening to patriarchy and capitalism, which has treated women as the sexual property of men.

It is only recently, and with that advent of the feminist movement, that women have begun to be seen as having rights to their sexuality. Today, some states continue to treat marital rape as something different than rape outside of marriage. It was only in the 1990s that laws began to change so that rape within marriage was considered the same kind of crime, with the same punishments, as rape. Prior to this, men were viewed as having a right to sex from their wives and implicit consent as part of their marriage. Since the majority of women have traditionally married, rape is built into the tradition of marriage. Marriage itself is institutionalized monogamy. By extension, marriage was institutionalized rape. Now, certainly there are people who have loving relationships and consensual sex within the context of marriage. And, bisexuals certainly fought for and benefited from the legalization of same sex marriage. But, I cannot shake my disgust at the notion that marriage granted men the right to sex without consequence, consent, or criminality. While consent is considered a part of healthy relationships today, control will always be a part of relationships so long as people attach their self-esteem and happiness to the sexual loyalty of their partner. In the popular imagination, there is sympathy for “crimes of passion.” A man who kills his wife after she cheats on him has a legitimate defense. These circumstances can result in lesser charges or a lower sentence. A woman who cheats on her husband may be denied alimony. To some degree, even non-abusive people accept the legitimacy of violence and control for the sake of monogamy. Control and abuse are enshrined in the law.

What is to be done?

There are many reasons why bisexuals are abused at higher rates than other groups. Bisexuals are more likely to experience mental health issues, substance abuse issues, and poverty, which both puts them at risk of abuse, but also results from abuse. Bisexuals experience bi-phobia and bi-erasure. Their abuse is justified because it is considered a means to control them, out them, that they were sexually confused to begin with, and their consent is ignored. Bisexuality itself is seen as something that must be controlled. It is misunderstood. At some level, it challenges some aspects of monogamy.

Hopefully, this piece offers some insight to why bisexuals may experience greater rates of abuse. Certainly, more research on this topic should be done. For instance, I could not find research pertaining to how many bisexuals actually identify as poly-amorous or monogamous. Besides continued research, more work should be done to end bi-phobia and bi-erasure. To this end, I hope that Pandemonium can work to create a community of bi+ activists, while fostering discussion, awareness of issues, a sense of identity and history, and action. As for advocates within the field of domestic violence, I hope that more can be done to become aware of LGBT issues and become more responsive to their needs. I am a domestic violence advocate myself, and I believe that this very rudimentary research has given me some food for thought in how I approach my work and frame problems. Finally, if nothing else, this demonstrates the connections between fighting for LGBT rights and the fight for feminism, but also other fights, such as the fight to end poverty and the fight for more mental health services.

The Twin Ports Women’s Rights Coalition

H. Bradford

(The following was written for the University of MN-Duluth’s Women and Gender Studies Department Newsletter)

Many people may not be aware that Duluth has its own feminist activist group, so I would like to take a moment to introduce you to the Twin Ports Women’s Rights Coalition (TPWRC). TPWRC was founded in September 2014 by a group of activists who were involved with ad hoc protests of the 40 Days for Life. For those unfamiliar with the 40 Days for Life, it is an international anti-choice event wherein volunteers spend forty days outside of abortion providers with the hope of ending abortion through prayer and protest. The anti-choice campaign began in 2004, is organized through local churches, and happens in the fall and spring each year. Last spring, the event mobilized 120,000 volunteers through 4,700 churches. Locally, the 40 Days for Life is held in September through the end of October outside of the Building for Women from 8 am to 8 pm. Counter protesting them is important because their presence shames women who use the clinic and seeks to sway public opinion against abortion. Because 95% of Minnesota counties do not have abortion providers, defending our clinic in Duluth is essential for ensuring that women in Northern Minnesota and Wisconsin continue to have access to abortion services. Furthermore, over the last forty years, abortion rights have been whittled away by a relentless onslaught of anti-choice legislation that mandates biased counseling, parental consent, waiting periods, and funding restrictions. With this in mind, the activists who founded the Twin Ports Women’s Rights Coalition have hosted regular protests of the 40 Days for Life since 2010. We sought create an organization which could continue these protests into the future and organize other feminist actions in the community. This is how the organization came into fruition in 2014.

Since its founding in 2014, the group has organized a variety of feminist events. Aside from the counter protest of the 40 Days for Life, TPWRC has organized a support picket of Roe v. Wade. Last year, this involved a “glo-test” wherein participants carried signs and wore glow sticks. We have also organized “Chalk for Choice” events this fall, which entails using chalk to create positive messages and artwork in the plaza of the Building for Women. The group has also organized a feminist book club, which will resume this winter. Other events include panels for International Women’s Day and Roe v. Wade and monthly “Feminist Frolics.” Feminist Frolics combine education with outdoor adventure. For instance, in August we went for a hike after listening to a brief lecture about how patriarchy shapes our relationship to nature. In September, we went foraging for wild food while learning about the history and economics of foraging and gleaning. Another exciting project that our group has been working on is launching a radical cheerleading group. The Rah Rah Revolutionaries has participated in several local protests since their re-launch this fall. Through these various activities, the TPWRC seeks to promote feminist activism while educate ourselves and our community about feminism.

Admittedly, our activist group is modest. At many of our events, we have less than a dozen attendees. Our level of activity ebbs and flows with the work schedules of our organizers. However, the call to feminist activism has hardly been greater. Feminism is misunderstood and misrepresented in society. At the same time, women continue to be underpaid and undervalued in the economy. They continue to be sexually assaulted and abused, then blamed and shamed for the violence against them. Abortion rights are curtailed, while students are provided skeletal sex education, daycare is as expensive as rent, and we are the one of three nations in the world that does not provide women with paid maternity leave. Shockingly, denying voting rights to women has become a popular demand in some circles! It seems that even the most basic rights granted to women have been called into question. Feminism should be not feared and averted, but should be reclaimed and asserted to make the powers of capitalist patriarchy tremble with fear. If you would like to join this fight, the Twin Ports Women’s Rights Coalition can be found on Facebook or can be contacted via email at Hbradford@Css.edu